Electronic device for reducing power consumption and operating method thereof

ABSTRACT

A device and a method for reducing power consumption of an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a display device, a battery, and at least one processor configured to be operatively connected to the display device, wherein the processor may determine whether to perform a handover to a second communication network, based on whether the display device is activated and a data throughput, in a state of connection to a first communication network among a plurality of communication networks supportable by the electronic device, and perform a handover to the second communication network when it is determined to perform the handover to the second communication network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of prior application Ser.No. 17/227,952, filed on Apr. 12, 2021, which is a continuationapplication of prior application Ser. No. 16/983,605, filed on Aug. 3,2020, which has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,979,952 on Apr. 13, 2021 andis based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Koreanpatent application number 10-2019-0095655, filed on Aug. 6, 2019, in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to a device and a method for reducing powerconsumption due to wireless communication in an electronic device.

2. Description of Related Art

Electronic devices use a battery as a power source for portability andmobility for a user. A battery has a limited storage capacity. Thus,electronic devices may be used for a limited time use due to the limitedstorage capacity of a battery.

A method for increasing the use time of an electronic device isincreasing the storage capacity of a battery or reducing the powerconsumption of the electronic device. Since the storage capacity of abattery is proportional to the size and weight of the battery, there maybe limitations in increasing the storage capacity of a battery.Accordingly, electronic devices need a method for reducing the powerconsumption of an electronic device in order to increase the use time.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination hasbeen made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

SUMMARY

In order to meet users' demand for wireless data traffic, 5th-generation(5G) communication utilizes a 6 GHz band or lower (e.g., a 1.8 GHz bandor 3.5 GHz band) or an extremely high frequency (mmWave) band (e.g., a28 GHz band or 39 GHz band), thereby achieving a high data transmissionrate.

When an electronic device is connected to a 5G network, powerconsumption due to wireless communication may be increased compared towhen connecting to a 4th-generation (4G) network (e.g., a long-termevolution (LTE) network). Accordingly, an electronic device thatconnects to a 5G network and performs wireless communication may cause adecrease in the use time of a battery having a limited storage capacity.

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentionedproblems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to providea device and a method for reducing power consumption due to wirelesscommunication in an electronic device.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device includes a display device, a battery,and at least one processor operatively connected to the display device,wherein the processor is configured to determine whether to perform ahandover to a second communication network, based on whether the displaydevice is activated and a data throughput, in a state of connection to afirst communication network among a plurality of communication networkssupportable by the electronic device, and perform a handover to thesecond communication network when it is determined to perform thehandover to the second communication network.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an operating methodof an electronic device is provided. The operating method includesconnecting to a first communication network among a plurality ofcommunication networks supportable by the electronic device, determiningwhether to perform a handover to a second communication network, basedon whether a display device is activated and a data throughput, in astate of connection to the first communication network, and performing ahandover to the second communication network when it is determined toperform the handover to the second communication network.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an electronicdevice is provided. The electronic device includes a display device, abattery, and at least one processor operatively connected to the displaydevice, wherein the processor is configured to connect to a firstcommunication network, based on control information obtained through asecond communication network among a plurality of communication networkssupportable by the electronic device, determine whether to use the firstcommunication network, based on whether the display device is activatedand a data throughput, in a state of connection to the firstcommunication network, identify whether there is data transmitted andreceived through the first communication network when it is determinedthat use of the first communication network is restricted, and restricta data channel request to the first communication network in a state ofconnection to the second communication network when there is no datatransmitted and received through the first communication network.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an electronic devicemay select a network for data transmission, based on at least one ofwhether a display device is activated, a data throughput, an applicationprogram being executed, the charge state of a battery, or whether anexternal power source is connected, thereby reducing power consumptiondue to wireless communication and thus extending the use time of thebattery.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may adaptivelyset a criterion for network selection per user, based on the use patternof the electronic device per user, thereby providing an optimal batteryuse time for each user.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages, of certainembodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a networkenvironment according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device forcontrolling a handover according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a second communication network, based on the state of adisplay device and a data throughput according to an embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen configuration for displaying informationabout a handover to a second communication network in an electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device determineswhether to perform a handover, based on the state of a display deviceand a data throughput according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device determineswhether to perform a handover, based on the state of a display device, acharacteristic of an application program, and a data throughputaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a second communication network, based on a battery chargestate according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates the screen configuration of a handover setting menuconsidering a battery charge state in an electronic device according toan embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a second communication network, based on the state of adisplay device according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a first communication network, based on the state of adisplay device according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a first communication network, based on the state of adisplay device and a data throughput according to an embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a first communication network, based on the state of adisplay device and a battery charge state according to an embodiments ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a first communication network, based on the state of adisplay device and whether an application program is executed accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover from a first communication network configured in anon-standalone (NSA) mode to a second communication network, based onthe state of a display device and a data throughput according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a second communication network according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover from a first communication network configured in an NSA mode toa second communication network, based on charge state information abouta battery according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device configureshandover reference information according to an embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 18 illustrates the screen configuration of a network mode settingmenu in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thedisclosure; and

FIG. 19 illustrates the screen configuration of a network switching menuin an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding, but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of thedisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of thedisclosure is provided for illustration purposes only and not for thepurpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

In the following description, terms for referring to network entities,terms referring to interfaces between network entities, and the like areillustratively used for the sake of convenience. Therefore, thedisclosure is not limited by the terms as used below, and other termsreferring to subjects having equivalent technical meanings may be used.

As used herein, a first communication network may include a new radio(NR) network (or 5G network) using a frequency in a high-frequency band(mmWave), and a second communication network may include a legacynetwork, such as a long-term evolution (LTE) network (or 4G network), awideband code division multiplexing access (WCDMA) network, or the like.However, the first communication network and the second communicationnetwork are not limited to the above examples but may include networksaccording to different communication technologies. For example, wirelesscommunication using the first communication network may have higherpower consumption due to wireless communication than wirelesscommunication using the second communication network.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in anetwork environment 100 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the electronic device 101 in the networkenvironment 100 may communicate with an electronic device 102 via afirst network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network),or an electronic device 104 or a server 108 via a second network 199(e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to anembodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with theelectronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment,the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, memory 130, aninput device 150, a sound output device 155, a display device 160, anaudio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a haptic module179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189,a communication module 190, a subscriber identification module (SIM)196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g.,the display device 160 or the camera module 180) of the components maybe omitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more othercomponents may be added in the electronic device 101. In someembodiments, some of the components may be implemented as singleintegrated circuitry. For example, the sensor module 176 (e.g., afingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illuminance sensor) may beimplemented as embedded in the display device 160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to an example embodiment, as at least part of the dataprocessing or computation, the processor 120 may load a command or datareceived from another component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or thecommunication module 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command orthe data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), asensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that isoperable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor121. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input device 150 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputdevice 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,or a digital pen (e.g., stylus pen).

The sound output device 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display device 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaydevice 160 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, orsensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure theintensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input device 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput device 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,an electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) or wirelessly coupledwith the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wiredly) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to an example embodiment, the powermanagement module 188 may be implemented as at least part of, forexample, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g.,LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communicationmodules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip),or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separatefrom each other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, suchas the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of aconductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate(e.g., printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, theantenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas. In such a case,at least one antenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in thecommunication network, such as the first network 198 or the secondnetwork 199, may be selected, for example, by the communication module190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192) from the plurality ofantennas. The signal or the power may then be transmitted or receivedbetween the communication module 190 and the external electronic devicevia the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment,another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC))other than the radiating element may be additionally formed as part ofthe antenna module 197.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the external electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of a sametype as, or a different type, from the electronic device 101. Accordingto an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at theelectronic device 101 may be executed at one or more of the externalelectronic devices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronicdevice 101 should perform a function or a service automatically, or inresponse to a request from a user or another device, the electronicdevice 101, instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or theservice, may request the one or more external electronic devices toperform at least part of the function or the service. The one or moreexternal electronic devices receiving the request may perform the atleast part of the function or the service requested, or an additionalfunction or an additional service related to the request, and transferan outcome of the performing to the electronic device 101. Theelectronic device 101 may provide the outcome, with or without furtherprocessing of the outcome, as at least part of a reply to the request.To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-servercomputing technology may be used, for example.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure andthe terms used therein are not intended to limit the technologicalfeatures set forth herein to particular embodiments and include variouschanges, equivalents, or replacements for a corresponding embodiment.With regard to the description of the drawings, similar referencenumerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It is tobe understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an itemmay include one or more of the things, unless the relevant contextclearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of such phrases as “Aor B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, orC,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C,” mayinclude all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in acorresponding one of the phrases. As used herein, such terms as “1st”and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may be used to simply distinguish acorresponding component from another, and does not limit the componentsin other aspect (e.g., importance or order). It is to be understood thatif an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or withoutthe term “operatively” or “communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupledto,” “connected with,” or “connected to” another element (e.g., a secondelement), the element may be coupled with the other element directly(e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, or any combination thereof, and mayinterchangeably be used with other terms, for example, “logic,” “logicblock,” “part,” or “circuitry”. A module may be a single integralcomponent, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted to perform one ormore functions. For example, according to an embodiment, the module maybe implemented in a form of an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101).For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a compiler or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein,the “non-transitory” storage medium is a tangible device, and does notinclude a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term may notdifferentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in thestorage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storagemedium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., Play Store™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to various embodiments, theintegrated component may still perform one or more functions of each ofthe plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 forcontrolling a handover according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the electronic device 101 may include anapplication processor (AP) 210, communication processors (CP) 220 and230, a display device 240, and a power management module 250. Theapplication processor (AP) 210 may be substantially the same as the mainprocessor 121 of FIG. 1 or may be included in the main processor 121.The communication processors (CPs) 220 and 230 may be substantially thesame as the auxiliary processor 123 (or coprocessor) of FIG. 1 or may beincluded in the auxiliary processor 123 (or coprocessor). The displaydevice 240 may be substantially the same as the display device 160 ofFIG. 1 or may be included in the display device 160. The powermanagement module 250 may be substantially the same as the powermanagement module 188 of FIG. 1 or may be included in the powermanagement module 188.

The application processor 210 may select a network for wirelesscommunication, based on at least one of whether the display device 240is activated, the data throughput of the electronic device 101, whetheran application program associated with a first communication network isexecuted, the state of charge (SoC) of a battery 189, or whether anexternal power source is connected.

When the display device 240 is switched to an inactive state with theelectronic device 101 connected to the first communication network, theapplication processor 210 may control a first communication processor220 and/or a second communication processor 230 to hand over theelectronic device 101 to a second communication network. For example,when the first communication network is configured in a non-standalone(NSA) mode, the application processor 210 may transmit a message forrequesting a handover to the second communication network to the secondcommunication processor 230. The second communication processor 230 mayperform a handover from a first communication network connection stateto a second communication network connection state according to therequest from the application processor 210. Although not shown in thedrawing, the first communication processor 220 and the secondcommunication processor 230 may be connected via a separate interface(e.g., a UART interface or the like) that does not pass through theapplication processor 210. In another example, when the firstcommunication network is configured in a standalone (SA) mode, theapplication processor 210 may transmit a message for requesting ahandover to the second communication network to the first communicationprocessor 220 and the second communication processor 230. For example,when the display device 240 remains in the inactive state for areference time period, the application processor 210 may determine thatthe display device 240 is switched to the inactive state.

When the display device 240 is switched to the inactive state with theelectronic device 101 connected to the first communication network andthe data throughput of the electronic device 101 is lower than areference throughput, the application processor 210 may control thefirst communication processor 220 and/or the second communicationprocessor 230 to hand the electronic device 101 over to the secondcommunication network. For example, the data throughput of theelectronic device 101 may be periodically detected by the applicationprocessor 210 with the display device 240 being in the inactive state.

When the display device 240 is switched to the inactive state with theelectronic device 101 connected to the first communication network andan application program associated with the first communication networkis not executed, the application processor 210 may control the firstcommunication processor 220 and/or the second communication processor230 to hand the electronic device 101 over to the second communicationnetwork. When the application program associated with the firstcommunication network is being executed with the display device 240switched to the inactive state but the data throughput of the electronicdevice 101 is lower than the reference throughput, the applicationprocessor 210 may control the first communication processor 220 and/orthe second communication processor 230 to hand over the electronicdevice 101 to the second communication network. When the applicationprogram associated with the first communication network is beingexecuted with the display device 240 switched to the inactive state andthe data throughput of the electronic device 101 is equal to or higherthan the reference throughput, the application processor 210 may controlthe first communication processor 220 and/or the second communicationprocessor 230 to maintain the connection to the first communicationnetwork.

The application processor 210 may determine whether to perform ahandover to the second communication network, based on at least one ofthe state of charge (SoC level) of the battery 189 or whether anexternal power source is connected when the electronic device 101 isconnected to the first communication network. For example, when thestate of charge (SoC level) of the battery 189 is higher than areference level or an external power source is connected, theapplication processor 210 may determine whether to perform a handover tothe second communication network, based on at least one of whether thedisplay device 240 is active, whether the application program associatedwith the first communication network is executed, or the data throughputof the electronic device 101. For example, when the state of charge (SoClevel) of the battery 189 is lower than the reference level or noexternal power source is connected, the application processor 210 maycontrol the first communication processor 220 and/or the secondcommunication processor 230 to hand over the electronic device 101 tothe second communication network.

When the display device 240 is switched to the active state with theelectronic device 101 handed over to the second communication network,the application processor 210 may control the first communicationprocessor 220 and/or the second communication processor 230 to hand overthe electronic device 101 to the first communication network. Forexample, when the first communication network is configured in thenon-standalone (NSA) mode, the application processor 210 may transmit amessage for requesting a handover to the first communication network tothe second communication processor 230. For example, when the firstcommunication network is configured in the standalone (SA) mode, theapplication processor 210 may transmit a message for requesting ahandover to the first communication network to the first communicationprocessor 220 and the second communication processor 230.

When the display device 240 is switched to the active state with theelectronic device 101 handed over to the second communication networkand the data throughput of the electronic device 101 is equal to orhigher than the reference throughput, the application processor 210 maycontrol the first communication processor 220 and/or the secondcommunication processor 230 to hand over the electronic device 101 tothe first communication network.

When the display device 240 is switched to the active state with theelectronic device 101 handed over to the second communication networkand the application program associated with the first communicationnetwork is executed, the application processor 210 may control the firstcommunication processor 220 and/or the second communication processor230 to hand over the electronic device 101 to the first communicationnetwork.

The application processor 210 may determine whether to perform ahandover to the first communication network, based on at least one ofthe state of charge (SoC level) of the battery 189 or whether anexternal power source is connected. For example, the state of charge(SoC level) of the battery 189 is higher than the reference level or anexternal power source is connected, the application processor 210 maycontrol the first communication processor 220 and/or the secondcommunication processor 230 to perform a handover to the firstcommunication network. For example, when the state of charge (SoC level)of the battery 189 is lower than the reference level or no externalpower source is connected, the application processor 210 may control thefirst communication processor 220 and/or the second communicationprocessor 230 to maintain the connection to the second communicationnetwork.

The application processor 210 may adaptively set reference information(e.g., a reference level, a reference throughput, or the like) forhandover of the electronic device 101, based on a use pattern of eachuser with respect to the electronic device 101. The applicationprocessor 210 may set the use pattern of the user with respect to theelectronic device 101 in view of at least one of data usage per user ofthe electronic device 101, a data throughput, the use frequency of anapplication program, or application program use time collected for acertain time period. The application processor 210 may set (or update)reference information for network switching, based on the use pattern ofthe user with respect to the electronic device 101. The applicationprocessor 210 may transmit at least one of the data usage per user ofthe electronic device 101, the data throughput of the electronic device101, the use frequency of the application program, or the applicationprogram use time collected for the certain time period to a server. Theapplication processor 210 may receive per-user reference information fornetwork switching from the server.

The application processor 210 may adaptively apply the referenceinformation (e.g., the reference level, the reference throughput, or thelike) for the handover of the electronic device 101, based on at leastone of the user, position, or use time point of the electronic device101.

The application processor 210 may detect the data throughput of theelectronic device 101, based on the amount of data (or packet)transmitted and received through the communication processors 220 and230. The first communication processor 220 and the second communicationprocessor 230 may provide the amount of data (or packets) transmittedand received through each communication network to the applicationprocessor 210. The application processor 210 may identify (or estimate)the data throughput of the electronic device 101, based on the amount ofdata transmitted and received through each communication network,provided from the communication processors 220 and 230. For example, theapplication processor 210 may periodically (e.g., every 10 seconds)identify the data throughput of the electronic device 101 with thedisplay device 240 being in the inactive state.

The first communication processor 220 may control transmission andreception of data through the first communication network. The secondcommunication processor 230 may control transmission and reception ofdata through the second communication network. When the firstcommunication network is configured in the non-standalone (NSA) mode,the first communication processor 220 may provide a service through thefirst communication network by interworking with the secondcommunication processor 230. For example, when the electronic device 101wishes to connect to the first communication network, the secondcommunication processor 230 may establish a control channel associatedwith the first communication network through the second communicationnetwork. The first communication processor 220 may establish a datachannel through the first communication network, based on the controlchannel associated with the first communication network establishedthrough the second communication network and may provide a servicethrough the first communication network. When the first communicationnetwork is configured in the standalone (SA) mode, the firstcommunication processor 220 may provide a service through the firstcommunication network alone.

When the first communication network is configured in the standalone(SA) mode, the first communication processor 220 may control the secondcommunication processor 230 to hand over a communication network of theelectronic device 101 according to a handover request from theapplication processor 210. For example, the first communicationprocessor 220 may provide time for a handover to the secondcommunication network to the second communication processor 230, basedon the operating state of the first communication network.

When the application processor 210 determines a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on first state information, the firstcommunication processor 220 may control the second communicationprocessor 230 to perform a handover to the second communication networkat a time when there is no data transmitted and received through thefirst communication network. In one example, when there is no datatransmitted and received through the first communication network at atime of receiving a handover request from the application processor 210,the first communication processor 220 may control the secondcommunication processor 230 to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network. In another example, when there is datatransmitted and received through the first communication network at atime of receiving a handover request from the application processor 210,the first communication processor 220 may delay a handover to the secondcommunication network until transmission and reception of the datathrough the first communication network is completed. When transmissionand reception of the data through the first communication network iscompleted, the first communication processor 220 may control the secondcommunication processor 230 to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network. When there is no data transmitted and receivedthrough the first communication network for a certain time period (e.g.,10 minutes), the first communication processor 220 may control thesecond communication processor 230 to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network. The first communication processor 220 may controltime for the second communication processor 230 to perform a handover tothe second communication network, based on whether there is datatransmitted and received through the first communication network. Forexample, the first state information may include at least one of whetherthe display device 240 is active, an application program being executed,or a data throughput.

When the application processor 210 determines a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on information about the state of charge ofthe battery, the first communication processor 220 may performdisconnection from the first communication network. The firstcommunication processor 220 may perform disconnection from the firstcommunication network, based on a handover request from the applicationprocessor 210, regardless of whether there is data transmitted andreceived through the first communication network. For example, the firstcommunication processor 220 may transmit a disconnection request messageto the first communication network, based on the handover request fromthe application processor 210. When a communication channel with thefirst communication network is released based on the disconnectionrequest message, the first communication processor 220 may transmitinformation about completion of disconnection from the firstcommunication network to the second communication processor 230.

When receiving a message for requesting a handover to the secondcommunication network from the application processor 210, the secondcommunication processor 230 may establish a communication channel withthe second communication network. For example, the application processor210 determines a handover to the second communication network, based onthe first state information, the second communication processor 230 mayestablish a communication channel with the second communication network,based on handover control information provided from the firstcommunication processor 220. The handover control information mayinclude information about time to perform a handover determined based onwhether there is data transmitted/received through the firstcommunication network. For example, when receiving a message forrequesting a handover to the second communication network determinedbased on the state of charge of the battery from the applicationprocessor 210, the second communication processor 230 may establish acommunication channel with the second communication network.

When the first communication network is configured in the non-standalonemode (NSA), the second communication processor 230 may restrict a datachannel request to the first communication network.

When the application processor 210 determines to perform a handover tothe second communication network, based on a first state parameter, thesecond communication processor 230 may restrict a data channel requestto the first communication network at a time when there is no datatransmitted/received through the first communication network. Forexample, when the application processor 210 requests a handover, thesecond communication processor 230 may identify whether there is datatransmitted/received through the first communication network. The secondcommunication processor 230 may identify whether there is datatransmitted/received through the first communication network, by usingthe first communication processor 220. When there is no datatransmitted/received through the first communication network, the secondcommunication processor 230 may control the first communicationprocessor 220 to restrict a data channel request to the firstcommunication network. For example, when there is data transmitted andreceived through the first communication network when the applicationprocessor 210 requests a handover, the second communication processor230 may identify whether data transmission and reception through thefirst communication network is completed. When the data transmission andreception through the first communication network is completed, thesecond communication processor 230 may control the first communicationprocessor 220 to restrict a data channel request to the firstcommunication network. Here, a control channel with the secondcommunication network may be maintained. When there is no datatransmitted and received through the first communication network for acertain time period (e.g., 10 minutes), the second communicationprocessor 230 may control the first communication processor 220 torestrict a data channel request to the first communication network. Forexample, when restricting the data channel request to the firstcommunication network, the second communication processor 230 mayestablish a data channel with the second communication network and maytransmit and receive data through the second communication network(e.g., fall back to the second communication (4G) network).

When the application processor 210 determines to perform a handover tothe second communication network, based on the information about thestate of charge of the battery, the second communication processor 230may control the first communication processor 220 to release the datachannel with the first communication network. The first communicationprocessor 220 may transmit a disconnection request message to the firstcommunication network, based on control of the second communicationprocessor 230. When the data channel with the first communicationnetwork is released, the first communication processor 220 may restricta data channel request to the first communication network. Here, thecontrol channel with the second communication network established usingthe second communication processor 230 may be maintained.

The display device 240 may display information about driving of theelectronic device 101. For example, the display device 240 may beactivated or deactivated based on control of the application processor210. In one example, the display device 240 may provide informationabout an operating state (e.g., an active state or an inactive state) ofthe display device 240 to the application processor 210. The informationabout the operating state may be transmitted periodically or when theoperating state of the display device 240 is changed.

The power management module 250 may provide the information about thestate of charge of the battery 189 to the application processor 210. Forexample, the information about the state of charge of the battery 189may be provided to the application processor 210 periodically or at atime when the charge state level of the battery 189 is changed. Thepower management module 250 may manage charging of the battery 189 usingan external power source connected by at least one of wired or wirelesscharging methods. The power management module 250 may provideinformation about connection of the external power source to theapplication processor 210. The information about the connection of theexternal power source may be provided to the application processor 210when the external power source is connected to the electronic device 101or when the external power source is disconnected.

At least one of the application processor 210 or the communicationprocessors 220 and 230 may be configured as a single chip. According toan embodiment, the application processor 210 and the communicationprocessors 220 and 230 may be configured as a single chip. Thecommunication processors 220 and 230 may be configured as a single chip.The configuration and structure of the communication processor(s)supporting the first communication network and the second communicationnetwork are not limited to the above examples, and differentconfigurations and structures may be supported for the communicationprocessor supporting the first communication network and the secondcommunication network.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an electronic device101 may include a display device 160; a battery 189; and at least oneprocessor 120 configured to be operatively connected to the displaydevice 160, wherein the processor 120 may determine whether to perform ahandover to a second communication network, based on whether the displaydevice 160 is activated and a data throughput, in a state of connectionto a first communication network among a plurality of communicationnetworks supportable by the electronic device 101, and may perform ahandover to the second communication network when it is determined toperform the handover to the second communication network.

The processor 120 may determine to perform the handover to the secondcommunication network when the display device 160 is deactivated and thedata throughput is lower than a reference throughput.

The reference throughput may be set based on a use pattern of a userwith respect to the electronic device 101, and the use pattern may beset based on at least one of a data usage per user collected for areference time period, the data throughput, a use frequency of anapplication program, or an application program use time.

The processor 120 may identify whether there is data transmitted andreceived through the first communication network when it is determinedto perform the handover to the second communication network, mayidentify whether transmission and reception of data through the firstcommunication network is completed when there is the data transmittedand received through the first communication network, and may performthe handover to the second communication network when the transmissionand reception of the data through the first communication network iscompleted.

The processor 120 may identify the state of charge (SoC) of the battery189, and may perform the handover to the second communication networkwhen the SoC of the battery 189 is lower than a reference level.

The processor 120 may determine whether to perform the handover to thesecond communication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated and the data throughput, when the SoC of the battery 189 isequal to or higher than the reference level.

The reference level may be set based on a use pattern of a user withrespect to the electronic device 101, and the use pattern may be setbased on at least one of a data usage per user collected for a referencetime period, the data throughput, a use frequency of an applicationprogram, or an application program use time.

The processor 120 may perform a handover to the first communicationnetwork when the display device is activated in a state of connection tothe second communication network based on deactivation of the displaydevice.

The first communication network may include a new radio (NR)communication network, and the second communication network may includea long-term evolution (LTE) communication network.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an electronic device101 may include a display device 160; a battery 189; and at least oneprocessor 120 configured to be operatively connected to the displaydevice 160. The processor 120 may connect to a first communicationnetwork, based on control information obtained through a secondcommunication network among a plurality of communication networkssupportable by the electronic device 101, may determine whether to usethe first communication network, based on whether the display device 160is activated and a data throughput, in a state of connection to thefirst communication network, may identify whether there is datatransmitted and received through the first communication network when itis determined that use of the first communication network is restricted,and may restrict a data channel request to the first communicationnetwork in a state of connection to the second communication networkwhen there is no data transmitted and received through the firstcommunication network.

The processor 120 may identify the state of charge (SoC) of the battery,may transmit a message associated with a disconnection to the firstcommunication network when the state of charge of the battery 189 islower than a reference level, and may restrict the data channel requestto the first communication network in the state of connection to thesecond communication network when disconnected from the firstcommunication network.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart 300 showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a second communication network, based on the state of adisplay device and a data throughput according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

In the following description, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. The electronic device maybe the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 . Hereinafter, at least someoperations of FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 .

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen configuration for displaying informationabout a handover to a second communication network in an electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in operation 301, the electronic device (e.g., theprocessor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1 )may connect to a first communication network (e.g., a 5G network) andmay transmit and receive data through the first communication network.When the electric field intensity (e.g., a received signal strengthindication (RSSI)) of the first communication network is equal to orhigher than a reference electric field strength, the processor 120(e.g., the application processor 210 of FIG. 2 ) may be connected to thefirst communication network through the wireless communication module192 to transmit and receive data.

In operation 303, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) maydetermine whether to perform a handover to a second communicationnetwork, based on whether the display device 160 is activated and a datathroughput. When the display device 160 is switched to the inactivestate and the data throughput is lower than a reference throughput, theprocessor 120 may determine to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network. When the display device 160 is in the activestate or the data throughput is higher than the reference throughput,the processor 120 may determine to maintain the connection to the firstcommunication network.

In operation 305, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether it is determined to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated and the data throughput. When it is determined to maintain theconnection to the first communication network (e.g., No in operation305), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may maintain the connection to the firstcommunication network.

When it is determined to perform a handover to the second communicationnetwork (e.g., a 4G network) (e.g., Yes in operation 305), theelectronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may perform the handover to the secondcommunication network in operation 307. When it is determined to performa handover to the second communication network, based on whether thedisplay device 160 is activated and the data throughput, the processor120 may identify the channel state (e.g., electric field intensity) ofat least one second communication network adjacent to the electronicdevice 101. The processor 120 may perform a handover to a secondcommunication network that is equal to or higher than a referenceelectric field intensity. In one example, when there is a plurality ofsecond communication networks having an electric field intensity equalto or higher than the reference electric field, the processor 120 mayperform a handover to a second communication network having the highestelectric field intensity.

When it is determined to perform the handover to the secondcommunication network (e.g., the 4G network), the processor 120 mayindicate the handover to the second communication network to thewireless communication module 192. When the handover to the secondcommunication network is indicated, the wireless communication module192 may identify whether there is data transmitted and received throughthe first communication network. When there is no data transmitted andreceived through the first communication network, the wirelesscommunication module 192 may perform a handover to the secondcommunication network. When there is data transmitted and receivedthrough the first communication network, the wireless communicationmodule 192 may perform a handover to the second communication networkafter completing transmission and reception of the data using the firstcommunication network. For example, when there is no data transmittedand received through the first communication network for a certain timeperiod (e.g., 10 seconds), the wireless communication module 192 (e.g.,the first CP 220 or the second CP 230) may perform a handover to thesecond communication network.

When it is determined to perform a handover to the second communicationnetwork (e.g., Yes in operation 305), the processor 120 may displayinformation 400 about the handover to the second communication networkon the display device 160. When an input to select an Accept menu 402 isdetected, the processor 120 may perform a handover to the secondcommunication network. When an input to select a Reject menu 404 isdetected, the processor 120 may determine that the user of theelectronic device 101 does not want a handover to the secondcommunication network. Accordingly, the processor 120 may maintain theconnection to the first communication network. When inputs to select theAccept menu 402 and the Reject menu 404 are not detected for a referencetime period, the processor 120 may perform a handover to the secondcommunication network.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device determineswhether to perform a handover, based on the state of a display deviceand a data throughput according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The following operations of FIG. 5 may be detailed operations ofoperation 303 of FIG. 3 . In the following embodiments, individualoperations may be performed sequentially but are not necessarilyperformed sequentially. For example, the order of individual operationsmay be changed, and at least two operations may be performed inparallel. Here, the electronic device may be the electronic device 101of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , in operation 501, the electronic device (e.g., theprocessor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may determine whether the display device 160is switched to the inactive state. When the electronic device 101 isconnected to a first communication network (e.g., an NR network) (e.g.,operation 301 of FIG. 3 ), the processor 120 (e.g., the applicationprocessor 210 of FIG. 2 ) may identify whether the display device 160remains in the inactive state for a reference time period. When thedisplay device 160 remains in the inactive state for the reference timeperiod, the processor 120 may determine that the display device 160 isswitched to the inactive state.

When the display device 160 is switched to the inactive state (e.g., Yesin operation 501), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether the data throughput of the electronic device is lowerthan a reference throughput in operation 503. When the display device160 is switched to the inactive state, the processor 120 mayperiodically determine the data throughput of the electronic device 101,based on the amount of data transmitted and received through a wirelesscommunication module 192.

When the data throughput of the electronic device is lower than thereference throughput (e.g., Yes in operation 503), the electronic device(e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192)may determine to hand over a communication network to a secondcommunication network (e.g., an LTE network) in operation 505. When thedisplay device 160 is switched to the inactive state and the datathroughput is lower than the reference throughput, the processor 120 mayidentify the electric field intensities of second communication networksadjacent to the electronic device 101. Among the second communicationnetworks adjacent to the electronic device 101, a second communicationnetwork having an electric field intensity equal to or higher than areference electric field strength may be selected as a network to whichthe electronic device 101 performs a handover.

When the display device 160 remains in the active state (e.g., No inoperation 501) or the data throughput of the electronic device is equalto or higher than the reference throughput (e.g., No in operation 503),the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may determine to maintain the connection tothe first communication network in operation 507. The wirelesscommunication module 192 may transmit and receive data through the firstcommunication network.

When the connection to the first communication network is maintainedwith the display device 160 being in the inactive state, the processor120 may periodically identify the data throughput of the electronicdevice 101. When the data throughput of the electronic device 101 islower than the reference throughput with the display device 160 being inthe inactive state, the processor 120 may control the wirelesscommunication module 192 to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device determineswhether to perform a handover, based on the state of a display device, acharacteristic of an application program, and a data throughputaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The following operations of FIG. 6 may be detailed operations ofoperation 303 of FIG. 3 . In the following embodiments, individualoperations may be performed sequentially but are not necessarilyperformed sequentially. For example, the order of individual operationsmay be changed, and at least two operations may be performed inparallel. Here, the electronic device may be the electronic device 101of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , in operation 601, the electronic device (e.g., theprocessor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may identify whether the display device 160 isswitched to the inactive state with the electronic device 101 connectedto a first communication network (e.g., a 5G network) (e.g., operation301 of FIG. 3 ). For example, a switch of the display device 160 to theinactive state may include a state in which the display device 160remains in the inactive state for a reference time period.

When the display device 160 is switched to the inactive state (e.g., Yesin operation 601), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether an application program associated with the firstcommunication network is being executed in operation 603. For example,the application program associated with the first communication networkmay include at least one application program that provides a serviceusing the first communication network.

When the application program associated with the first communicationnetwork is being executed (e.g., Yes in operation 603), the electronicdevice (e.g., the processor 120) may identify whether the datathroughput of the electronic device is lower than a reference throughputin operation 605. For example, the data throughput of the electronicdevice 101 may be determined based on the amount of data transmitted andreceived through a wireless communication module 192 for a referencetime period in a case that the display device 160 is switched to theinactive state.

When the application program associated with the first communicationnetwork is not being executed (e.g., No in operation 603) or the datathroughput of the electronic device is lower than the referencethroughput (e.g., Yes in operation 605), the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192) maydetermine to hand over a communication network to a second communicationnetwork (e.g., an LTE network) in operation 607. For example, the secondcommunication network to which the electronic device 101 is handed overmay include an LTE network having an electric field intensity equal toor higher than a reference electric field strength.

When the display device 160 remains in the active state (e.g., No inoperation 601) or the data throughput of the electronic device is equalto or higher than the reference throughput (e.g., No in operation 605),the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may determine to maintain the connection tothe first communication network in operation 609.

When the connection to the first communication network is maintainedbased on execution of the application program associated with the firstcommunication network with the display device 160 being in the inactivestate, the processor 120 may periodically identify the data throughputof the electronic device 101. When the data throughput of the electronicdevice 101 is lower than the reference throughput with the displaydevice 160 being in the inactive state, the processor 120 may controlthe wireless communication module 192 to perform a handover to thesecond communication network.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a second communication network, based on a battery chargestate according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 . Hereinafter, at leastsome operations of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

FIG. 8 illustrates the screen configuration of a handover setting menuconsidering a battery charge state in an electronic device according toan embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , in operation 701, the electronic device(e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 ofFIG. 1 ) may transmit and receive data through a first communicationnetwork (e.g., an NR network). The wireless communication module 192 mayconnect to the first communication network having an electric fieldintensity equal to or higher than a reference electric field strength totransmit and receive the data.

In operation 703, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/orthe power management module 188) may identify whether the charge statelevel (SoC level) of a battery is equal to or greater than a referencelevel. For example, the charge state level of the battery may bereported by the power management module 188 to the processor 120periodically or when the charge state level of the battery is changed.

When the charge state level (SoC level) of the battery is equal to orgreater than the reference level (e.g., Yes in operation 703), theelectronic device (e.g., the processor 120) may determine whether toperform a handover to a second communication network, based on whetherthe display device 160 is activated and a data throughput, in operation705. As shown in operations 501 to 507 of FIG. 5 , the processor 120(e.g., the application processor 210 of FIG. 2 ) may determine whetherto perform a handover to the second communication network, based onwhether the display device 160 is activated and the data throughput. Asshown in operations 601 to 609 of FIG. 6 , the processor 120 (e.g., theapplication processor 210 of FIG. 2 ) may determine whether to perform ahandover to the second communication network, based on whether thedisplay device 160 is activated, whether an application programassociated with the first communication network is executed, and thedata throughput.

In operation 707, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether it is determined to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated and the data throughput. When the display device 160 isswitched to the inactive state and the data throughput is lower than areference throughput, the processor 120 may determine to perform ahandover to the second communication network. When the display device160 is switched to the inactive state and the application programassociated with the first communication network is executed but the datathroughput is lower than the reference throughput, the processor 120determines to perform a handover to the second communication network.

When it is determined not to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network in operation 705 (e.g., No in operation 707), theelectronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may maintain the connection to the firstcommunication network.

When the charge state level (SoC level) of the battery is lower than thereference level (e.g., No in operation 703) or it is determined toperform a handover to the second communication network (e.g., Yes inoperation 707), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/orthe wireless communication module 192) may perform a handover to thesecond communication network in operation 709. The processor 120 mayprovide a request for a handover to the second communication network tothe wireless communication module 192. The wireless communication module192 may perform a handover to the second communication network having anelectric field intensity equal to or higher than the reference electricfield strength. When determining the handover to the secondcommunication network, based on the charge state of the battery, theprocessor 120 may transmit a handover request message to the firstcommunication network. When determining the handover to the secondcommunication network, based on the charge state of the battery, theprocessor 120 may control the wireless communication module 192 toperform a handover to the second communication network regardless ofwhether there is data transmitted and received through the firstcommunication network. In one example, the processor 120 may provideinformation related to a parameter (e.g., first state information orcharge state information about the battery) considered in determiningthe handover to the second communication network to the wirelesscommunication module 192. For example, the processor 120 may addparameter information to the handover request message, may configure thehandover request message in a different form to correspond to theparameter, or may transmit the parameter information using a separatemessage.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the electronicdevice 101 may switch a network, based on whether an external powersource is connected. When the electronic device 101 is connected to anexternal power source and is supplied with power from the external powersource, the processor 120 (e.g., the application processor 210 of FIG. 2) may determine whether to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated and the data throughput as shown in operations 501 to 507 ofFIG. 5 . When the electronic device 101 is connected to an externalpower source and is supplied with power from the external power source,the processor 120 (e.g., the application processor 210 of FIG. 2 ) maydetermine whether to perform a handover to the second communicationnetwork, based on whether the display device 160 is activated, whetheran application program associated with the first communication networkis executed, and the data throughput as shown in operations 601 to 609of FIG. 6 . When the electronic device 101 is not connected to anexternal power source, the processor 120 (e.g., the applicationprocessor 210 of FIG. 2 ) may determine whether to perform a handover tothe second communication network, based on the charge state level of thebattery as shown in operations 701 to 709 of FIG. 7 .

When a network switching menu 800 is configured in a power saving modeof a battery management mode, the electronic device 101 (e.g., theprocessor 120) may switch a network, based on the charge state level ofthe battery 189 or whether an external power source is connected asshown in operations 701 to 709 of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a second communication network, based on the state of adisplay device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 9 , in operation 901, the electronic device (e.g., theprocessor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1 )may connect to a first communication network (e.g., a 5G network) havingan electric field intensity equal to or higher than a reference electricfield strength and may transmit and receive data through the firstcommunication network.

In operation 903, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether the display device 160 is deactivated, while connectedto the first communication network. When the display device 160 remainsin the inactive state for a reference time period, the processor 120(e.g., the application processor 210 of FIG. 2 ) may determine that thedisplay device 160 is deactivated. In one example, the processor 120 mayidentify whether the display device 160 remains in the inactive statefor the reference time period from the time when a deactivation requestsignal is transmitted to the display device 160. In another example, theprocessor 120 may identify whether the display device 160 remains in theinactive state for the reference time period from the time when adeactivation switch signal is received from the display device 160.

When the display device 160 is deactivated (e.g., Yes in operation 903),the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may perform a handover to a secondcommunication network in operation 905. For example, the secondcommunication network to which the electronic device 101 is handed overmay include a network having an electric field intensity equal to orhigher than the reference electric field strength. When the handover tothe second communication network is determined based on whether thedisplay device 160 is activated, the processor 120 may control thewireless communication module 192 to perform the handover to the secondcommunication network at a time when there is no data transmitted andreceived through the first communication network.

According to various embodiments, when the display device 160 is in theactive state (e.g., No in operation 903), the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192) maymaintain the connection to the first communication network. For example,the active state of the display device 160 may include a state in whichthe display device 160 is deactivated but reactivated within thereference time period.

When determining that a user is in an environment where the electronicdevice 101 cannot be used, such as a movie theater, based on sensingdata obtained by the sensor module 176, the electronic device (e.g., theprocessor 120) may perform a handover to the second communicationnetwork.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart 1000 showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a first communication network, based on the state of adisplay device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , in operation 1001, the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1) may perform a handover to a second communication network. When datatransmission and reception is performed through the first communicationnetwork, the processor 120 (e.g., the application processor 210 of FIG.2 ) may control the wireless communication module 192 to perform ahandover to the second communication network, based on at least one ofwhether the display device 160 is activated, the data throughput of theelectronic device 101, whether an application program associated withthe first communication network is executed, the charge state (SoC)level of the battery 189, or whether an external power source isconnected.

In operation 1003, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether the display device 160 is activated, while connected tothe second communication network through the handover. In one example,whether the display device 160 is activated may be determined based onwhether the processor 120 transmits an activation request signal to thedisplay device 160. In one example, whether the display device 160 isactive may be determined based on whether the processor 120 receives anactivation switch signal from the display device 160.

When the display device 160 is activated (e.g., Yes in operation 1003),the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may perform a handover to the firstcommunication network in operation 1005. For example, the firstcommunication network to which the electronic device 101 is handed overmay include a network having an electric field intensity equal to orhigher than a reference electric field strength.

When the display device 160 is in the inactive state (e.g., No inoperation 1003), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/orthe wireless communication module 192) may maintain the connection tothe second communication network in operation 1007.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart 1100 showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a first communication network, based on the state of adisplay device and a data throughput according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 11 , in operation 1101, the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1) may perform a handover to a second communication network. The wirelesscommunication module 192 may perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on control of the processor 120, whileconnected to the first communication network.

In operation 1103, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether the display device 160 is activated, while connected tothe second communication network through the handover. For example, theinactive state of the display device 160 may include analways-on-display (AOD) mode of the display device 160.

When the display device 160 is activated (e.g., Yes in operation 1103),the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) may identify whether thedata throughput of the electronic device 101 is equal to or higher thana reference throughput in operation 1105. When the display device 160 isin the inactive state, the processor 120 may periodically identify thedata throughput of the electronic device 101, based on the amount ofdata transmitted and received through the wireless communication module192.

When the data throughput of the electronic device 101 is equal to orhigher than the reference throughput (e.g.: Yes in operation 1105), theelectronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may perform a handover to the firstcommunication network in operation 1107. The wireless communicationmodule 192 may perform a handover to the first communication networkhaving an electric field intensity equal to or higher than a referenceelectric field strength.

When the display device 160 is in the inactive state (e.g., No inoperation 1103) or the data throughput of the electronic device 101 islower than the reference throughput (e.g.: No in operation 1105), theelectronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may maintain the connection to the secondcommunication network in operation 1109.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a first communication network, based on the state of adisplay device and a battery charge state according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 12 , in operation 1201, the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1) may perform a handover to a second communication network. The wirelesscommunication module 192 may perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated and a data throughput, as shown in operations 301 to 307 ofFIG. 3 . The wireless communication module 192 may perform a handover tothe second communication network, based on the charge state level of abattery, as shown in operations 701 to 709 of FIG. 7 . The wirelesscommunication module 192 may perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated, as shown in operations 901 to 907 of FIG. 9 .

In operation 1203, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether the display device 160 is activated, while connected tothe second communication network through the handover.

When the display device 160 is switched to the active state (e.g., Yesin operation 1203), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether the battery charge state level of the electronic device101 is equal to or higher than a reference level in operation 1205. Forexample, the battery charge state level may include the remainingbattery level of the electronic device 101.

When the battery charge state level of the electronic device 101 isequal to or higher than the reference level (e.g., Yes in operation1205), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or thewireless communication module 192) may perform a handover to the firstcommunication network in operation 1207. For example, the electric fieldintensity of the first communication network to which the electronicdevice 101 is handed over may be equal to or higher than a referenceelectric field strength.

When the display device 160 is in the inactive state (e.g., No inoperation 1203) or the battery charge state level of the electronicdevice 101 is lower than the reference level (e.g., No in operation1205), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or thewireless communication module 192) may maintain the connection with thesecond communication network in operation 1209.

The electronic device 101 may perform a handover to the firstcommunication network, based on whether an external power source isconnected. When the electronic device 101 is connected to an externalpower source and is supplied with power from the external power sourceat the time when the display device 160 is activated, the processor 120may perform a handover to the first communication network. When suppliedwith power from the external power source, the electronic device 101 maydetermine whether to perform a handover to the first communicationnetwork, based on whether the display device 160 is activated regardlessof the battery charge state level.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a first communication network, based on the state of adisplay device and whether an application program is executed accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 13 , in operation 1301, the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1) may perform a handover to a second communication network. Theprocessor 120 may control the wireless communication module 192 toperform a handover to the second communication network, based on stateinformation about the electronic device 101 in order to reduce powerconsumption due to wireless communication. For example, the stateinformation about the electronic device 101 may include at least onewhether the display device 160 is activated, the data throughput of theelectronic device 101, whether an application program associated withthe first communication network is executed, and the charge state (SoC)level of the battery 189, or whether an external power source isconnected.

In operation 1303, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether the display device 160 is activated, while connected tothe second communication network through the handover. The processor 120may identify whether an event associated with activation of the displaydevice 160 is triggered. For example, the event associated withactivation of the display device 160 may include at least one ofreception of a call, detection of an input via a power button, ordetection of an input via a home button.

When the display device 160 is switched to the active state (e.g., Yesin operation 1303), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether an application program associated with the firstcommunication network is executed in operation 1305. For example, theapplication program associated with the first communication network mayinclude at least one application program that provides a service throughthe first communication network.

When the application program associated with the first communicationnetwork is executed (e.g., Yes in operation 1305), the electronic device(e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192)may perform a handover to the first communication network in operation1307.

According to various embodiments, when the display device 160 is in theinactive state (e.g., No in operation 1303) or the application programassociated with the first communication network is not executed (e.g.,No in operation 1305), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120and/or the wireless communication module 192) may maintain theconnection to the second communication network in operation 1309.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover from a first communication network configured in the NSA modeto a second communication network, based on the state of a displaydevice and a data throughput according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 14 , in operation 1401, the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1) may connect to the first communication network (e.g. a 5G network)using the second communication network (e.g., an LTE network). When thefirst communication network is configured in the non-standalone (NSA)mode, the wireless communication module 192 may establish a controlchannel through the second communication network. The wirelesscommunication module 192 may establish a data channel with the firstcommunication network, based on control information provided through thecontrol channel with the second communication network. The wirelesscommunication module 192 may transmit and receive data through the datachannel with the first communication network.

In operation 1403, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) maydetermine whether to perform a handover to the second communicationnetwork, based on whether the display device 160 is activated and a datathroughput. The processor 120 (e.g., the application processor 210 ofFIG. 2 ) may determine whether to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated and the data throughput, as shown in operations 501 to 507 ofFIG. 5 . According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may determinewhether to perform a handover to the second communication network, basedon whether the display device 160 is activated, whether an applicationprogram associated with the first communication network is executed, andthe data throughput, as shown in operations 601 to 609 of FIG. 6 .

In operation 1405, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether it is determined to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated and the data throughput. According to an embodiment, when thedisplay device 160 is switched to the inactive state and the datathroughput of the electronic device 101 is lower than a referencethroughput, the processor 120 may determine to perform a handover to thesecond communication network. According to an embodiment, when thedisplay device 160 is switched to the inactive state and the applicationprogram associated with the first communication network is not executed,the processor 120 determines to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network.

When it is determined to maintain the connection to the firstcommunication network in operation 1403 (e.g., No in operation 1405),the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may maintain the connection to the firstcommunication network.

When it is determined to perform a handover to the second communicationnetwork (e.g., a 4G network) (e.g., Yes in operation 1405), theelectronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may restrict establishment of a data channelwith the first communication network in operation 1407. When it isdetermined to perform a handover to the second communication network,the processor 120 may restrict a data channel request to the firstcommunication network at a time when there is no data transmitted andreceived through the first communication network.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover to a second communication network according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

The following operations of FIG. 15 may be detailed operations ofoperation 1407 of FIG. 14 . In the following embodiments, individualoperations may be performed sequentially but are not necessarilyperformed sequentially. For example, the order of individual operationsmay be changed, and at least two operations may be performed inparallel. Here, the electronic device may be the electronic device 101of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 15 , when it is determined to perform a handover tothe second communication network (e.g., Yes in operation 1405 of FIG. 14), the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192 of FIG. 1 ) may identify whether there is datatransmitted and received through a first communication network inoperation 1501. The wireless communication module 192 may identifywhether there is data transmitted and received through a data channelwith the first communication network.

When there is data transmitted and received through the firstcommunication network (e.g., Yes in operation 1501), the electronicdevice (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module192) may identify whether transmission and reception of the data throughthe first communication network is completed in operation 1503.

When transmission and reception of the data through the firstcommunication network is not completed (e.g., No in operation 1503), theelectronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may identify whether transmission andreception of the data through the first communication network iscompleted. The processor 120 (e.g., the application processor 210 ofFIG. 2 ) may periodically identify whether transmission and reception ofthe data through the first communication network is completed.

When there is no data transmitted and received through the firstcommunication network (e.g., No in operation 1501) or transmission andreception of the data through the first communication network iscompleted (e.g., Yes in operation 1503), the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192) mayrestrict a data channel request to the first communication network inoperation 1505. In this case, a communication channel (control channeland data channel) with the second communication network may bemaintained. In one example, restriction of the data channel request mayinclude a state in which the electronic device is configured not totransmit a request message for establishing a data channel to the firstcommunication network when data associated with the electronic device101 occurs in case that the data channel with the first communicationnetwork is disconnected. The electronic device 101 may transmit andreceive data associated with the electronic device 101 through thecommunication channel with the second communication network.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device performs ahandover from a first communication network configured in the NSA modeto a second communication network, based on charge state informationabout a battery according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 16 , in operation 1601, the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 and/or the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1) may connect to the first communication network (e.g. a 5G network)using the second communication network (e.g., an LTE network). When thefirst communication network is configured in the non-standalone (NSA)mode, the wireless communication module 192 may establish a data channelwith the first communication network, based on control informationobtained through the second communication network.

In operation 1603, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/orthe power management module 188) may identify whether the charge statelevel (SoC) of a battery is less than a reference level. The powermanagement module 188 may provide charge state information about thebattery to the processor 120 (e.g., the application processor 210 ofFIG. 2 ) periodically or when the charge state level of the battery ischanged.

When the charge state level (SoC) of the battery is less than thereference level (e.g., Yes in operation 1603), the electronic device(e.g., the processor 120 and/or the power management module 188) mayidentify whether an external power source is connected in operation1605. The power management module 188 may identify whether power issupplied from an external power source that is connected to theelectronic device 101 via a cable or wirelessly.

When no external power source is connected (e.g., No in operation 1605),the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may transmit a disconnection message to thefirst communication network in operation 1607. When the charge statelevel of the battery is less than the reference level and no externalpower source is connected, the processor 120 may determine to perform ahandover to the second communication network. The processor 120 maycontrol the wireless communication module 192 to transmit thedisconnection message in order to release the data channel with thefirst communication network.

The electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/or the wirelesscommunication module 192) may be disconnected from the firstcommunication network in operation 1609. When receiving a responsemessage (e.g., an ACK signal) to the disconnection message from thefirst communication network, the processor 120 may release the datachannel with the first communication network. The wireless communicationmodule 192 may transmit and receive data through a communication channelwith a preset second communication network in order to connect to thefirst communication network.

In operation 1611, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120 and/orthe wireless communication module 192) may restrict a data channelrequest to the first communication network. For example, when dataassociated with the electronic device 101 occurs in a case that the datachannel with the first communication network is disconnected, theprocessor 120 does not transmit a request message for establishing adata channel to the first communication network. In this case, thewireless communication module 192 may transmit and receive the dataassociated with the electronic device 101 through the communicationchannel with the second communication network.

When the charge state level (SoC level) of the battery is equal to orgreater than the reference level (e.g., No in operation 1603) or anexternal power source is connected (e.g., Yes in operation 1605), theelectronic device (e.g., the processor 120) may determine whether toperform a handover to the second communication network, based on whetherthe display device 160 is activated and a data throughput. The processor120 may determine whether to perform a handover to the secondcommunication network, based on whether the display device 160 isactivated and the data throughput, as shown in operations 501 to 507 ofFIG. 5 . The processor 120 may determine whether to perform a handoverto the second communication network, based on whether the display device160 is activated, whether an application program associated with thefirst communication network is executed, and the data throughput, asshown in operations 601 to 609 of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing that an electronic device configureshandover reference information according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

In the following embodiments, individual operations may be performedsequentially but are not necessarily performed sequentially. Forexample, the order of individual operations may be changed, and at leasttwo operations may be performed in parallel. Here, the electronic devicemay be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

Referring to FIG. 17 , In operation 1701, the electronic device (e.g.,the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ) may collect usage information about theelectronic device. For example, the usage information about theelectronic device may include at least one of data usage per user of theelectronic device 101, a data throughput, the use frequency of anapplication program, or application program use time.

In operation 1703, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) maydetermine a use pattern of a user with respect to the electronic device,based on the usage information about the electronic device. For example,the use pattern may include at least one of the use frequency, the usetime point, or the use time of a service associated with a firstcommunication network. The electronic device may include a numericprocessing unit (NPU) to analyze the usage information about theelectronic device and to determine the use pattern of the user withrespect to the electronic device.

In operation 1705, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayset reference information associated with a handover, based on the usepattern. The frequency of the user using the service associated with thefirst communication network is relatively high, the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor 210 of FIG. 2 ) may set the referenceinformation associated with the handover such that the frequency of ahandover to a second communication network is reduced. When thefrequency of the user using the service associated with the firstcommunication network is relatively low, the processor 120 may set thereference information associated with the handover such that a handoverto the second communication network relatively easily occurs. In oneexample, the processor 120 may set the reference information associatedwith the handover, based on the position or use time point of theelectronic device 101. The reference information associated with thehandover may include, for example, at least one of a reference level forcomparison with the charge state level of a battery, a referencethroughput for comparison with a data throughput, or a reference timeperiod for identifying whether the display device 160 is in the inactivestate.

In operation 1707, the electronic device (e.g., the processor 120) mayidentify whether the reference information associated with the handoverhas been changed. The processor 120 may identify whether the referenceinformation associated with the handover set in operation 1705 is thesame as reference information associated with a handover stored in thememory 130.

When the reference information associated with the handover has beenchanged (e.g., Yes in operation 1707), the electronic device (e.g., theprocessor 120) may update the reference information associated with thehandover, previously set in the electronic device, to the referenceinformation associated with the handover corresponding to the usepattern of the user in operation 1709. In one example, the referenceinformation associated with the handover may be stored in a table form.

The electronic device may transmit the usage information about theelectronic device to a server. The electronic device may update thereference information stored in the electronic device, based onreference information associated with a handover provided from theserver.

The electronic device may set reference information associated with ahandover, based on a user input. The processor 120 may set referenceinformation associated with a handover, based on a user input to areference information setting menu.

The electronic device may selectively collect the usage informationabout the electronic device, based on a user's setting. When the userenables usage information collection, the electronic device may collectthe usage information about the electronic device.

When it is determined that the usage information about the electronicdevice cannot be collected or the collected usage information isunreliable, the electronic device may determine whether to perform ahandover to the second communication network using predefined referenceinformation associated with a handover. For example, the predefinedreference information associated with the handover may include at leastone of previously set reference information or initial referenceinformation set in the electronic device 101.

The electronic device 101 may selectively perform a handover to reducepower consumption due to wireless communication, based on a user input.An operation of selectively performing a handover is described belowwith reference to FIG. 18 or FIG. 19 .

FIG. 18 illustrates the screen configuration of a network mode settingmenu in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 18 , according to an embodiment, the electronic device101 may provide a network mode menu 1802 for selecting a network forwireless communication in a menu 1800 for managing a network forwireless communication. When detecting an input to select the networkmode menu 1802, the electronic device 101 may display a network list1810 through at least a portion of a display device 160. For example, anLTE mode 1812 may include a mode in which the electronic device 101preferentially connects to an LTE network among supportable networks. AnLTE switch mode 1814 may include a mode of handing over a network forwireless communication to reduce power consumption due to wirelesscommunication. A 5G/LTE mode 1816 may include a mode in which theelectronic device 101 preferentially connects to a 5G network (NRnetwork) among supportable networks.

When the LTE switch mode 1814 is selected from the network list 1810,the electronic device 101 may hand over a network for wirelesscommunication, based on at least one of whether the display device 160is activated, a data throughput, whether an application programassociated with a first communication network is executed, the chargestate (SoC) of a battery 189, or whether an external power source isconnected. For example, when the LTE switch mode 1814 is selected, theelectronic device 101 may hand over the network, based on operations 301to 307 of FIG. 3 .

When the LTE switch mode 1814 is not selected from the network list1810, the electronic device 101 may determine that a handover forreducing power consumption due to wireless communication is restricted.For example, when the LTE switch mode 1814 is not selected, theelectronic device 101 may restrict an operation of handing over anetwork according to operations 301 to 307 of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 19 illustrates the screen configuration of a network switching menuin an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 19 , the electronic device 101 may provide an LTEswitch setup menu 1902 for setting whether to activate an LTE switchmode in a menu 1900 for managing a network for wireless communication.For example, the LTE switch mode may include a mode of handing over anetwork for wireless communication to reduce power consumption due towireless communication.

When the LTE switch setup menu 1902 is set in an inactive state, theelectronic device 101 may determine that a handover for reducing powerconsumption due to wireless communication is restricted.

When the LTE switch setup menu 1902 is set in an active state, theelectronic device 101 may hand over a network for wirelesscommunication, based on at least one of whether a display device 160 isactivated, a data throughput, whether an application program associatedwith a first communication network is executed, the charge state (SoC)of a battery 189, or whether an external power source is connected. Forexample, when the electronic device 101 performs a handover to a secondcommunication network (LTE mode), based on the charge state of thebattery 189 while connected to the first communication network, theelectronic device 101 may display information 1912 about the handover tothe second communication network (e.g., ‘The device has been switched toLTE for power saving’) on the display device 160 (1910). For example,the information 1912 about the handover to the second communicationnetwork may be deleted from the display device 160 after a lapse of acertain time period or when a user input is detected.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an operating methodof an electronic device 101 may include connecting to a firstcommunication network among a plurality of communication networkssupportable by the electronic device 101; determining whether to performa handover to a second communication network, based on whether a displaydevice 160 is activated and a data throughput, in a state of connectionto the first communication network; and performing a handover to thesecond communication network when it is determined to perform thehandover to the second communication network.

The determining whether to perform the handover may include determiningto perform the handover to the second communication network when thedisplay device 160 is deactivated and the data throughput is lower thana reference throughput.

The reference throughput may be set based on a use pattern of a userwith respect to the electronic device 101, and the use pattern may beset based on at least one of a data usage per user collected for areference time period, the data throughput, a use frequency of anapplication program, or an application program use time.

The determining whether to perform the handover may include determiningto perform the handover to the second communication network when thedisplay device 160 is deactivated and an application processorassociated with the first communication network is not driven; anddetermining to perform the handover to the second communication networkwhen the display device 160 is deactivated, the application processorassociated with the first communication network is driven, and the datathroughput is lower than the reference throughput

The performing of the handover may include: identifying whether there isdata transmitted and received through the first communication networkwhen it is determined to perform the handover to the secondcommunication network; identifying whether transmission and reception ofdata through the first communication network is completed when there isthe data transmitted and received through the first communicationnetwork; and performing the handover to the second communication networkwhen the transmission and reception of the data through the firstcommunication network is completed.

The method may further include identifying a state of charge (SoC) of abattery 189; and performing the handover to the second communicationnetwork when the SoC of the battery 189 is lower than a reference level.

The determining whether to perform the handover may include determiningwhether to perform the handover to the second communication network,based on whether the display device is activated and the datathroughput, when the SoC of the battery 189 is equal to or higher thanthe reference level.

The method may further include identifying whether the display device isactivated when the handover to the second communication network isperformed; and performing a handover to the first communication networkwhen the display device is activated.

The first communication network may include a new radio (NR)communication network, and the second communication network may includea long-term evolution (LTE) communication network.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tovarious embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as definedby the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device configured to support aplurality of communication networks including a first cellularcommunication network and a second cellular communication network, theelectronic device configured to: establish a first cellular connectionwith the first cellular communication network based at least in part oncontrol information received from the second cellular communicationnetwork; perform first cellular communication with the first cellularcommunication network via the first cellular connection; based at leastin part on a determination that a display of the electronic device hasbeen in an inactive state for a reference time period and that a datathroughput detected in a state of the first cellular connection havingbeen established is lower than a reference throughput: establish asecond cellular connection with the second cellular communicationnetwork and perform second cellular communication with the secondcellular communication network via the second cellular connection;release the first cellular connection with the first cellularcommunication network; and after the first cellular connection isreleased, determine that the display of the electronic device isactivated, and based at least in part on a determination that thedisplay of the electronic device is activated in a state of the secondcellular connection having been established while performing the secondcellular communication with the second cellular communication network:establish a third cellular connection with the first cellularcommunication network based at least in part on control informationreceived from the second cellular communication network; and performthird cellular communication with the first cellular communicationnetwork via the third cellular connection.
 2. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the establishment of the second cellular connectionwith the second cellular communication network comprises establishmentof a data channel for the second cellular connection with the secondcellular communication network.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein said release comprises transmitting a disconnection message forreleasing a data channel for the first cellular connection with thefirst cellular communication network.
 4. The electronic device of claim1, further configured to: present, via the display, a setting menu toreceive a user input to select a mode of performing second cellularcommunication and releasing the first cellular communication when thedisplay of the electronic device has been in the inactive state for thereference time period and when the data throughput detected in the stateof the first cellular connection having been established is lower thanthe reference throughput; and perform the performing of the secondcellular communication further based on the user input received via thesetting menu.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, further configuredto: set the reference throughput based at least in part on a use patternby a user with respect to the electronic device, the use patternincluding at least one of a data usage per user collected for aspecified time period, the data throughput, a use frequency of anapplication program, or an application program use time.
 6. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the determination that the displayhas been in the inactive state for the reference time period and thatthe data throughput is lower than the reference throughput is made whiledata is transmitted or received via the first cellular connection as atleast part of the first cellular communication, and wherein theelectronic device is further configured to: identify whether there isdata transmitted and received through the first cellular connection, andperform the performing of the second cellular communication only whentransmission or reception of the data via the first cellular connectionis completed.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the firstcellular communication network forms at least part of a new radio (NR)communication network, and the second cellular communication networkforms at least part of a long-term evolution (LTE) communicationnetwork.
 8. The electronic device of claim 1, further configured to:while the first cellular connection is released and the second cellularcommunication is performed via the second cellular connection, refrainfrom transmitting a data channel request to the first cellularcommunication network.
 9. The electronic device of claim 8, whereinwhile the first cellular connection is released and the second cellularcommunication is performed via the second cellular connection, the datachannel request is refrained from being transmitted if a data throughputassociated with the second cellular communication is lower than thereference throughput, and the second cellular connection is maintainedwith the second cellular communication network.
 10. An operating methodof an electronic device, the operating method comprising: establishing afirst cellular connection with a first cellular communication networkamong a plurality of communication networks supportable by theelectronic device, based at least in part on control informationreceived from a second cellular communication network among theplurality of communication networks; performing first cellularcommunication with the first cellular communication network via thefirst cellular connection; based at least in part on a determinationthat a display of the electronic device has been in an inactive statefor a reference time period and that a data throughput detected in astate of the first cellular connection having been established is lowerthan a reference throughput: establishing a second cellular connectionwith the second cellular communication network and performing secondcellular communication with second cellular communication network viathe second cellular connection; releasing the first cellular connectionwith the first cellular communication network, and after the firstcellular connection is released, determining that the display of theelectronic device is activated, and based at least in part on adetermination that the display of the electronic device is activated ina state of the second cellular connection having been established whileperforming the second cellular communication with the second cellularcommunication network: establishing a third cellular connection with thefirst cellular communication network based at least in part on controlinformation received from the second cellular communication network, andperforming third cellular communication with the first cellularcommunication network via the third cellular connection.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein the establishing the second cellular connectionwith the second cellular communication network comprises establishing adata channel for the second cellular connection with the second cellularcommunication network.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein saidreleasing comprises transmitting a disconnection message for releasing adata channel for the first cellular connection with the first cellularcommunication network.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:presenting, via the display, a setting menu to receive a user input toselect a mode of performing second cellular communication and releasingthe first cellular communication when the display of the electronicdevice has been in the inactive state for the reference time period andwhen the data throughput detected in the state of the first cellularconnection having been established is lower than the referencethroughput; and performing the performing of the second cellularcommunication further based on the user input received via the settingmenu.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: setting thereference throughput based at least in part on a use pattern of a userwith respect to the electronic device, wherein the use pattern includesat least one of a data usage per user collected for a specified timeperiod, the data throughput, a use frequency of an application program,or an application program use time.
 15. The method of claim 10, whereinthe determining that the display has been in the inactive state for thereference time period and that the data throughput is lower than thereference throughput is made while data is transmitted or received viathe first cellular connection as at least part of the first cellularcommunication, and wherein the method further comprises: identifyingwhether there is data transmitted and received through the firstcellular connection, and performing the performing of the secondcellular communication only when transmission or reception of the datavia the first cellular connection is completed.
 16. The method of claim10, wherein the first cellular communication network forms at least apart of a new radio (NR) communication network, and wherein the secondcellular communication network forms at least a part of a long-termevolution (LTE) communication network.
 17. The method of claim 10,further comprising: while the first cellular connection is released andthe second cellular communication is performed via the second cellularconnection, refraining from transmitting a data channel request to thefirst cellular communication network.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein, while the first cellular connection is released and the secondcellular communication is performed via the second cellular connection,the refraining from transmitting the data channel request to the firstcellular communication network comprises: refraining from transmittingthe data channel request to the first cellular refraining fromtransmitting the data channel request to the first cellularcommunication network if a data throughput associated with the secondcellular communication is lower than the reference throughput, andmaintaining the second cellular connection with the second cellularcommunication network.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, causethe computer to execute a method comprising: establishing a firstcellular connection with a first cellular communication network among aplurality of communication networks supportable by an electronic device,based at least in part on control information received from a secondcellular communication network among the plurality of communicationnetworks; performing first cellular communication with the firstcellular communication network via the first cellular connection; basedat least in part on a determination that a display of the electronicdevice has been in an inactive state for a reference time period andthat a data throughput detected in a state of the first cellularconnection having been established is lower than a reference throughput:establishing a second cellular connection with the second cellularcommunication network and performing second cellular communication withsecond cellular communication network via the second cellularconnection; releasing the first cellular connection with the firstcellular communication network; and after the first cellular connectionis released, determining that the display of the electronic device isactivated, and based at least in part on a determination that thedisplay of the electronic device is activated in a state of the secondcellular connection having been established while performing the secondcellular communication with the second cellular communication network:establishing a third cellular connection with the first cellularcommunication network based at least in part on control informationreceived from the second cellular communication network; and performingthird cellular communication with the first cellular communicationnetwork via the third cellular connection.